Monday Morning Draft – Week 8 2026

Race for the No. 1 Pick of the 2027 NFL Draft:

Los Angeles Chargers:

The Chargers played the Rams closely before the Rams pulled away 24-9. That dropped Los Angeles to 0-7 on the season. All the preseason hype of Mike McDaniel taking over as the offensive coordinator has not led to a high-scoring attack. One would think that Los Angeles has too much talent to go winless or land the No. 1 overall pick, but something seems terribly wrong with the Chargers. If they land the No. 1 pick, they should look to trade down for a boatload of picks with a team that wants a quarterback. If they are forced to stick-and-pick at No. 1, they should draft Jeremiah Smith to give Justin Herbert an elite No. 1 receiver.

Miami Dolphins:

Miami played the Patriots tough but lost at home. The 1-6 Dolphins are still a prime contender to land the No. 1 pick, but they need the Chargers to start getting some wins. Previously, they played the Vikings and Chiefs tough in back-to-back weeks. The Dolphins started their rebuild last offseason by moving on from veterans Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Bradley Chubb, and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Miami has some young talent, and the new front office had an outstanding 2026 draft class. The young players need time to develop, and the Dolphins look likely to be picking in the top three next April.

Tennessee Titans:

The Titans lost in overtime to the Bengals. At 1-7, Tennessee is among the worst teams in the league, but they have shown some competitiveness in some games. If Tennessee lands the No. 1 pick, the first question to answer will be whether they want to build around Cam Ward with a trade down or do they want to replace Ward with a new quarterback.

Top General Manager Candidates:

• Notre Dame general manager Mike Martin
• Miami Dolphins assistant general manager Kyle Smith
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers senior personnel executive Byron Kiefer
• Detroit Lions senior personnel executive John Dorsey
• Detroit Lions director of college scouting Brian Hudspeth
• Wisconsin general manager Morocco Brown
• New England Patriots senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith
• Baltimore Ravens director of college scouting Joey Cleary

Top Head Coach Candidates:

• Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman
• Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden
• Former Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott
• Super Bowl-winning head coach Mike Tomlin
• Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores
• Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph
• Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase

Head Coach Hot-Seat Tracker:

• Indianapolis Colts: Shane Steichen
• New York Jets: Aaron Glenn
• Dallas Cowboys: Brian Schottenheimer
• Washington Commanders: Dan Quinn
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Todd Bowles
• Cincinnati Bengals: Zac Taylor

General Manager Hot-Seat Tracker:

• Tennessee Titans: Mike Borgonzi
• Cleveland Browns: Andrew Berry
• Washington Commanders: Adam Peters
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jason Licht
• Detroit Lions: Brad Holmes

Let's Play Matchmaker:

Arizona Cardinals: Carter Smith, OT, Indiana

The Cardinals improved to 3-5 with an overtime road win in Dallas. Gardner Minshew threw three touchdown passes, and the Cardinals defense did an excellent job of limiting CeeDee Lamb and Javonte Williams. Dallas defense did get five sacks as Arizona’s offensive line has been decimated by injuries. Getting Paris Johnson and Chase Bisontis back from injury will help next season, but they could use a young right tackle to go with Johnson.

Smith (6-4, 307) has been a steady and reliable blocker for the Hoosiers. He shows enough athleticism and quickness to block on the edge, with some strength as a run blocker. Smith is a steady blocker but not overly dominant. Hence, he is viewed as more of a day-two prospect, but this is a weak tackle class, and he plays a premium position, so Smith could rise into late first-round consideration. In the second round, he would be a good value for Arizona, and Smith would fit the LaFleur offense well at right tackle.

Cincinnati Bengals: Chris Cole, LB, Georgia

Surprisingly, the Titans almost knocked off the Bengals, but Cincinnati was able to win in overtime. Tony Pollard had a big day for Tennessee with 117 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. The Bengals could use more linebacker talent to go with Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter.

In 2026, Cole has 49 tackles with 3.5 sacks, three pass batted, three fumble recoveries, including a long touchdown return versus Florida. Under Kirby Smart, Georgia has produced a lot of solid linebacker prospects for the NFL, and Cole will maintain that tradition in 2027. The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder is strong at the point of attack and is a tough run defender. He is also a dangerous blitzer with upside to develop in pass coverage. In his first season as a starter, Cole had 60 tackles with 4.5 sacks and two passes broken up in 2025. Cole could be a good first-round pick for Cincinnati to strengthen the middle of their defense.

Las Vegas Raiders: David Stone, DT, Oklahoma

The Raiders improved to 4-4 with Kirk Cousins throwing three touchdown passes. New York got huge games out of Adonai Mitchell (7-142-1) and running back Braelon Allen (21-147-1). Las Vegas needs to use their first-round pick to help Fernando Mendoza with better blocking or receiver talent, but on day two they could look to improve their run defense with more interior defensive line talent.

In 2026, Stone has 33 tackles and two sacks. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Stone flashed some next-level ability in 2025. He was a disruptive run defender with 43 tackles for the season. Stone had 1.5 sacks as a sophomore. Stone is a solid run defender who can contribute some disruption as a rusher. Stone could be a nice day-two pick for the Raiders to give them a tough interior defender to improve their run defense.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss

The Steelers improved to 6-2 with a big home win over the Browns (5-3). Pittsburgh’s defense had eight sacks while Jaylen Warren ran for 143 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. This season Aaron Rodgers has been an effective game manager, but the Steelers could use more playmaking out of the quarterback position.

In 2026, Chambliss has completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,189 yards with 18 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and six rushing touchdowns. He led Ole Miss to an epic win over LSU and a late win over Louisville. Chambliss was superb for Ole Miss in 2025, guiding them deep into the college football playoffs, including leading a legendary win over Georgia. In 2025, Chambliss completed 66 percent of his passes for 3,937 yards with 22 touchdowns and three interceptions. The 6-foot, 200-pound Chambliss has a similar style of play to a young Russell Wilson. While he is short and undersized, Chambliss has a quality arm with excellent mobility. Chambliss is fantastic at ad-libbing his team into big plays. Chambliss could make sense for the Steelers in the first round of the draft.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Reed Harris, WR, Arizona State

The Jaguars dominated and blew out the Colts 42-7 in Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence only threw 14 passes, but managed 210 yards and three touchdowns on 10 completions. The Jaguars cruised, but they could use more receiver talent to go with Parker Washington. There have been rumors of them trading Brian Thomas Jr., but even if they keep him, they could use more weapons for Liam Coen’s offense.

Thus far in 2026, Harris has 48 receptions for 804 yards with eight touchdowns. In 2025, Harris had 39 catches for 673 yards with five touchdowns. Harris (6-4, 220) is a big receiver with a strong build and showed some speed with an average of 17.3 yards per reception in 2025. As the No. 1 to replace Jordyn Tyson, Harris has been very impressive in 2026. He has good speed for his size and is superb on 50-50 passes. He would be an excellent first-round pick for the Jaguars.

Detroit Lions: Rasheem Biles, LB, Texas

The Lions got a huge win at home, dealing the Vikings their first loss of the season. The much-criticized Detroit defense held Minnesota to only 15 points. T.J. Hockenson (4-58-1) had a nice game against his former team, and this season the Lions have missed having a good Will linebacker next to Jack Campbell. On day two of the 2027 NFL Draft, Detroit could use a Will backer with speed and pass coverage ability.

While a lot of Texas’ draft prospects have disappointed this season, Biles has been the exception, as he has impressed with the Longhorns. Biles has been a fast and fluid pursuit linebacker who flies around the field and stays around the ball. Biles (6-1, 222) is not the biggest of linebackers, but he doesn’t play small. This season, Biles has 60 tackles with three passes broken up, four sacks, three forced fumbles, and three interceptions. In 2025 with Pitt, Biles impressed with 100 tackles, 4.5 sacks, four passes broken up, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. Biles could be an excellent day-two pick for the Lions in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Green Bay Packers: A’Mauri Washington, DT, Orego

The Packers got back on track on Thursday Night Football as Jordan Love ripped the Carolina secondary and the Green Bay defense harassed Bryce Young. Last year and through the first half of this season, the Packers have missed Kenny Clark, and injuries have also hurt the interior run defense talent. Adding a big, strong, run stuffer could make a lot of sense for the Packers on the second day of the 2027 NFL Draft.

Washington has 21 tackles and five passes batted in 2026. In 2025, Washington had 31 tackles with 1.5 sacks and seven passes broken up. Washington (6-3, 330) is known to have an excellent skill set and upside. He is very strong, physical, and has surprising speed and athleticism for a heavy defensive tackle. Washington is a tough run defender and space-eating nose tackle for the NFL. He could be a good pick for the Packers in the second round.

Team Draft Report:

In this section, we take a deeper look at specific teams and where they stand regarding the 2025 NFL Draft.

Buffalo Bills:

The Bills were my preseason pick to win the Super Bowl this season, and Buffalo has been among the best teams in the league in the first half of the 2027 season. With Josh Allen playing at an elite level, Buffalo could be poised to make this the season their fanbase has been starving for. If the Bills don’t win the Super Bowl this year, they will be right back as championship contenders in 2027.

The Bills have a strong roster with good depth, so they do not have a lot of huge needs to fill. In the first round of my latest mock 2027 NFL Draft, I have the Bills taking Georgia safety K.J. Bolden, and he would be a great pick for Buffalo. C.J. Gardner-Johnson was brought in this season, but Gardner-Johnson is a locker room cancer, which is why he has bounced around the league despite being a solid player. The Bills could get a long-term answer in Bolden, as he is a well-rounded safety and a plug-and-play contributor. Aside from Bolden, they could consider other safeties in the early rounds like Notre Dame’s Tae Johnson, LSU’s Ty Benefield, Texas’ Jelani McDonald, and Alabama’s Bray Hubbard.

The Bills could also consider adding cornerback youth, as Tre White and Dee Alford are not long-term players. Some cornerback prospects for the back half of the first round could include Mississippi State’s Kelley Jones, Clemson’s Ashton Hampton, Nebraska’s Andrew Marshall, and Michigan’s Zeke Berry. Adding cornerback talent is never a bad idea for depth as well as starting talent.

Buffalo could also consider a young edge rusher. Bradley Chubb is not a long-term player, and it could make sense to add more rotational edge rush. Late in the first round, they could target players like Clemson’s Will Heldt, Alabama’s Yhonzae Pierre, and Notre Dame’s Boubacar Traore. They could help the Bills with rotational pass rush and become long-term starters.

Buffalo has a strong roster, so going with the best player available could get consideration. If there is a wide receiver or offensive lineman available that they love, that would not be a bad pick either. The Bills might make my preseason prediction true by winning the Super Bowl, but another quality draft could help to make it a reality in 2028 as well.